Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatry. Jun 19, 2024; 14(6): 812-821
Published online Jun 19, 2024. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v14.i6.812
Assessing the current situation and the influencing factors affecting perceived stigma among older patients after leukemia diagnosis
Xuan Tang, Shuang-Qin Chen, Jiang-Hua Huang, Cai-Feng Deng, Jie-Qiong Zou, Juan Zuo
Xuan Tang, Shuang-Qin Chen, Jiang-Hua Huang, Cai-Feng Deng, Jie-Qiong Zou, Department of Neurology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, Hunan Province, China
Juan Zuo, Department of Hematology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, Hunan Province, China
Author contributions: Tang X designed and performed the study and wrote the manuscript; Chen SQ and Zuo J provided clinical advice and supervised this study; Huang JH provided psychological adjustment and health education to patients; Deng CF and Zou JQ collected questionnaires and contributed to the analysis.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Hengyang Medical School, University of South China.
Informed consent statement: All study participants or their legal guardians provided written informed consent for personal and medical data collection prior to their enrolment in the study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: The data used in this study can be obtained from the corresponding author upon request.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Juan Zuo, MSN, Nurse, Department of Hematology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, No. 69 Chuanshan Road, Shigu District, Hengyang 421001, Hunan Province, China. zj20200912@163.com
Received: February 20, 2024
Revised: April 13, 2024
Accepted: April 25, 2024
Published online: June 19, 2024
Processing time: 120 Days and 6.4 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Psychological problems are becoming increasingly prominent among older patients with leukemia, with patients potentially facing stigmatization after diagnosis. However, there is limited research on the stigma experienced by these patients and the factors that may contribute to it.

AIM

To investigate the stigma faced by older patients after being diagnosed with leukemia and to analyze the potential influencing factors.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted using clinical data obtained from questionnaire surveys, interviews, and the medical records of older patients with leukemia admitted to the Hengyang Medical School from June 2020 to June 2023. The data obtained included participants’ basic demographic information, medical history, leukemia type, family history of leukemia, average monthly family income, pension, and tendency to conceal illness. The Chinese versions of the Social Impact Scale (SIS), Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) were used to assess indicators related to stigma, social support, and mental health status. We used Pearson’s correlation coefficient to analyze the strength and direction of the relationship between the scores of each scale, and regression analysis to explore the factors related to the stigma of older patients with leukemia after diagnosis.

RESULTS

Data from 120 patients with leukemia aged 65-80 years were analyzed. The total score on the SIS and PSSS was 43.60 ± 4.07 and 37.06 ± 2.87, respectively. The SAS score was 58.35 ± 8.32 and the SDS score was 60.58 ± 5.97. The stigma experienced by older leukemia patients was negatively correlated with social support (r = -0.691, P < 0.05) and positively correlated with anxiety and depression (r = 0.506, 0.382, P < 0.05). Age, education level, smoking status, average monthly family income, pension, and tendency to conceal illness were significantly associated with the participants’ level of stigma (P < 0.05). Age, smoking status, social support, anxiety, and depression were predictive factors of stigmatization among older leukemia patients after diagnosis (all P < 0.05), with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.644 and an adjusted R2 of 0.607.

CONCLUSION

Older patients commonly experience stigmatization after being diagnosed with leukemia. Factors such as age, smoking status, social support, and psychological well-being may influence older patients’ reported experience of stigma.

Keywords: Senile leukemia; Stigma; Social support; Anxiety; Depression; Influencing factors

Core Tip: The most innovative and important finding of this study is that older patients with leukemia commonly experience feelings of stigmatization after diagnosis, which are influenced by factors such as age, smoking status, social support, and psychological status. This study highlights the importance of addressing the psychological well-being and social support that older patients with leukemia receive to mitigate feelings of stigmatization and to improve their overall quality of life.